Nick Clegg suffers a fresh blow as a new poll finds that Vince Cable would be
more electable as the leader of the Liberal Democrats.

The ICM survey for The Sunday Telegraph puts Mr Cable, who has not ruled himself out as a future leader, 11 points ahead of Mr Clegg among voters of all parties. Among Lib Dem supporters, Mr Cable’s lead is seven per cent.

The poll comes at the start of the Lib Dem conference in Brighton where party leaders are lining up a series of policy clashes with Conservatives.

The ICM poll sees their projected share of the vote for the Lib Dems at the next general election increase by one point from last month to 18 per cent - a higher figure than they achieve in most surveys.

Overall the “Wisdom Index” poll - which asks voters to predict the next election result rather than which party they support - puts Labour on 37 per cent, and the Tories on 31 per cent. Labour’s lead is cut by one point from last month.

However, it is not good news for Mr Clegg personally, who last week made a televised apology for making a pledge not to increase university tuition fees before the last election and then breaking it in government.

When asked whose leadership would attract most voters to the party, 21 per cent of all those polled picked Mr Clegg, with 32 per cent identifying Mr Cable, the Business Secretary.

Among Lib Dem supporters, Mr Cable was chosen by 30 per cent with Mr Clegg on 23 per cent.

Mr Cable said two months ago that he “would not exclude” leading the Lib Dems in the future, adding “who knows what might happen” He did not stand in the 2007 contest to succeed Sir Menzies Campbell as the party’s leader.

*ICM Research interviewed a sample of 2,029 adults aged 18+ online on 20-21st September 2012. The results have been weighted to the profile of all adults.